IPW Week 2013
Dr Denise Dollimore
University of Hertfordshire
Title
Business Ethics in the Age of Customer Capitalism
Approach
This course takes a critical approach to the business case for business ethics and corporate social
responsibility from an organizational perspective. Drawing on competing theories and analytical
frameworks for critical evaluation it examines a range of contemporary business cases. Students
explore a variety of ethical challenges that arise from international business and globalisation and
consider various strategic responses for those seeking to be good corporate citizens.
Main Content
Introductory lecture covers the journey from managerial capitalism to customer capitalism,
contextualising the on-going debate between shareholder and stakeholder perspectives and their
roots in the visions of modern corporations presented by Berle and Means (1932), Jensen and
Meckling (1976), Milton Friedman (1970)and Edward Freeman (1984). Students are here introduced
to the strategic dilemma at the heart of all discussion around Business ethics and corporate social
responsibility through the notion of the paradox of profits versus responsibility. Within this context,
the course explores ethical issues raised by international business and globalization.
Expanding on this theme, follow up lectures and workshops focus on:

‘Business ethics, corporate governance and CSR’
The social contract, strategic role of ethics, codes of conduct, strategic response framework

‘Doing well by doing good: stakeholder theory and sustainability’
Challenging shareholder value perspective, Freeman’s Stakeholder theory, Carroll’s CSR
pyramid, Elkington’s Triple Bottom Line.

‘The business case for CSR and Sustainability: Are virtuous firms built to last?’
Drawing on recent research by Roger Martin (2010), Archie Carroll (2010) Crane and Matten
(2008) and others, and reviewing a number of contemporary case studies, we examine the
business case for and against CSR and sustainability and debate the notion of customer
capitalism.
Case studies discussed and examined in group work include, amongst others: BP, Facebook, Nike,
Adidas, McDonalds, Foxconn, Apple, Unilever, CISCO, Newscorp, Tesco, Johnson and Johnson, IKEA,
Hotel Chocolat
Learning Objectives
On completion of this course successful students will have acquired knowledge and understanding of
a range of ethical issues raised by international business and globalization as well as the strategic
role of ethics. Students are typically able to:



Evaluate ethical issues from a range of strategic management perspectives
Apply ethical and organizational values to situations and choices
Apply theory to devise and justify decision strategies for dealing with ethical dilemmas
Teaching and Learning methods
Learning and teaching methods include lectures, DVDs, YouTube, group & class discussion and
debate, case study analysis, individual reading and online research, group work, poster presentation.
Students are provided with a hard copy of the course guide book which includes essential readings,
case studies and a list of references.
Daily Schedule
Sessions 1/2
Mon 13
th
Tues 14th
1)Lecture 2: ‘Business Ethics, Corporate
Governance and CSR’
2)DVD: The Global Environment
Discussion / Case study
Weds 15th
1)Lecture 3: ‘Doing Well by Doing Good:
Stakeholder theory’
2)Discussion / Case study
Thurs 16th
1)Lecture 4: ‘The Business Case for CSR
and SustainAbility: Are virtuous firms
built to last?’
2) Discussion / Case study
Sessions 3/ 4
3)Lecture 1: ‘Introduction: ‘Business Ethics
and the Age of Customer Capitalism’
4)Assignments and Poster discussion
YouTube + other case studies
Group work on unethical practices, the
social contract, codes of conduct and ISO
standards
DVD + competing case study
Group work on the paradox of profits
versus responsibility – Who are the
stakeholders?
DVD + competing case study
Group work on building the sustainAble
corporation